Little Bean Roasters

Present-day Shanghai is at the forefront of China’s booming coffee industry, as consumers become increasingly aware of specialty coffee and gradually move beyond mainstream beverage chains. Today, the city swells with independent cafés and homegrown roasters, big and small, all vying to create a social refuge and the perfect cup for local patrons. Tucked away behind the imposing facade of Shanghai’s Science and Technology Museum, lies a string of restaurants and cafés that line the walkway along the Zhangjiabang River.

Little Bean Roasters is an intriguing double storey structure, painted entirely in black and surrounded by minimalistic alfresco seating. The café’s interiors are composed of clean lines, featuring a clear juxtaposition between industrial charm and minimal chic. These design characteristics are synonymous with the architects who brought Little Bean to life, the Australia-based DesignOffice, who are also responsible for the design of Melbourne brunch powerhouse Higher Ground and Small Batch Roasting Co’s café, Filter. The unique adaptation of the building gave Little Bean the physical capacity to become Shanghai’s first all-inclusive café, bakery, coffee school and roastery.

The ground floor comprises of the café, complete with their vintage Probat coffee roasters, which provide an authentic backsplash to the Little Bean coffee bar. The display cases are filled to the brim with fresh daily baked goods and roasted coffee beans perch on built-in displays. The dining space is open and thoughtfully comprised of intimate crevices, sunlit tables and a round standing bar table.

There are two stairways that lead up to the office space and coffee school, where bright, clean natural light streams through the entire space. Of the upstairs coffee school, there are two main focal points, which are the two circular apertures that allow visitors to look directly into the café below. The two floors are subtly connected by the large mirrors that are suspended over each opening.

Beyond the space itself, every little detail under the Little Bean brand has been paid considerable attention. Packaging for their retail beans are colour coded according to how they are best enjoyed; a blue label for filter coffee and a gray label for espresso. Filter coffee is expertly made and served in Tim Wendelboe cups. The shape of each cup is moulded specifically to enhance the taste of coffee it holds; the “Splitt” is wide mouthed, designed to house coffees that carry fruity, floral and acidic notes, whilst the cone-shaped “Tulipan” brings out the earthy aromas from El Salvadorian, Brazilian and Indian coffee beans.

The white coffee at Little Bean receives equal care; they are also one of the few cafés in Shanghai that can sling an authentic flat white. The perfect flat white is a viscous carrier that champions the espresso and is characterised by a thin layer of velvety microfoam. The flat white at Little Bean pays true homage to this classic Australian coffee and is even aptly served in an Acme & Co coffee cup.

It has been a year since Little Bean have opened their doors and they have been thoroughly rewarded for their wholesome approach to premium specialty coffee. Their coffee school holds regular classes that span anywhere from an afternoon to a few days, and their customer base for both dine in and online retail continue to grow by the day. With a new year fast approaching, Little Bean hope to bring their holistic approach to coffee across the river to Puxi punters in 2017.